I have been listening to the soundtrack from the drama Happy Together. One of the problems with soundtracks is that the music on the album has usually been written to provide background to a scene in a movie, not as songs meant to stand on their own. In addition, usually soundtrack albums lack cohesion, and this one is no exception. However, it has a variety of styles, some which make for interesting listening.
The first cut on the CD, The Crying Machine, has the typical sound of introductory music to a TV drama, as does the seventh (title) cut, Happy Together. They both sound as if they were meant to be background music to those chase scenes that start every American cop show.
Neoegero (Run to You) , the second track, is performed by Sinmi Youn. This song is one of the more unique tunes, providing something closer to alternative rock than TV theme music. Nah Chang Hyoun performs the ballad Natsan Shigansok Ui Neo (In a Strange Time), providing one of the other songs that doesn't sound as if it was written specifically for a soundtrack.
Hong Chong Myong has three songs on the Happy Together OST. I particularly like the first one, Ije Orin (Now We). This has a sweet classical guitar running through it, giving it a soft, Spanish quality. Neol Oihan Santaek (Choice for You) is another ballad performed by Hong Chong Myong. This one doesn't have as much personality as Choice for You, but still shows of the singer's voice quite well. With Giekhaejeooh (Remember), Hong Chong Myong offers another Spanish-influenced sound with a beat just shy of Flamenco. This, followed closely by track three, is my favorite piece on the Happy Together CD.
The eighth track is Negen Oppaga Iteyo (I Have a Dad), an instrumental. It opens with a delicate piano line that reaches a deeper sound after ten or so measures. This is a comfortable song with muted percussion and a warm saxophone solo. This same "coziness" can be heard in the next two cuts on the album as well. Nammae (Brother and Sister) has the quality of a lullaby with its gentle classical guitar supported by violins and woodwinds. This isn't a pure instrumental as it has a flute-like voice at the end, but there are no lyrics. The piano makes a return in Yun Jui Taema (Yun Joo's Theme). I wouldn't be surprised to hear any of these three songs on a Windham Hill release -- this is music to be listened to in front of fireplace on a rainy day.
Gipun Joun Nal (Pleasant Day), the shortest cut on the CD, resembles The Crying Machine and Happy Together in that it has the quality of sounding like a theme song. The same can be said of Bang Hwang (Wondering). I didn't find either too compelling as individual songs, although the guitar solos were fine in Bang Hwang.
The last two tracks on the CD are two versions of the same song, Nerul Nukkimyo 1 (Feeling You 1) and Nerul Nukkimyo 2 (Feeling You 2). The first version is performed primarily on the piano while the second consists of guitar/synthesizer tracks. Truthfully, there is not much difference between the two versions, and I'm not sure why both were included.
